Happy Tuesday! The tennis world turns to Melbourne as week one of the Australian Open kicks off!

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Jannik Sinner's dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 dismantling of Pedro Martínez signals the Italian is in prime form for a deep run. The world number two faces a favorable draw through round three, with a potential fourth-round clash against fifteenth seed Karen Khachanov representing his first legitimate test. Sinner's clinical performance against Martínez, combined with his recent form, positions him as the favorite to reach the second week unscathed and fresh for the quarterfinals.

Carlos Alcaraz maintained his flawless 21-0 first-round Slam record but showed vulnerability in the second set against Adam Walton's aggressive baseline play. The top seed faces Yannick Hanfmann in round two before a likely third-round meeting with either Michael Zheng or Sebastian Korda, both of whom battled through five sets in round one. Alcaraz's path steepens in the fourth round with a projected matchup against either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or nineteenth seed Tommy Paul, who advanced with a straight-sets victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Alexander Zverev dropped the opening set to Gabriel Diallo before recovering for a four-set victory. Daniil Medvedev ended his shocking 370-day Grand Slam first-round winless streak by defeating Jesper de Jong, finally breaking a pattern that saw him lose opening matches at all four majors in 2025. Seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime's momentum from a stellar second half of 2025 came crashing down when he retired against Nuno Borges while trailing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, cramping early in the third set.

Aryna Sabalenka cruised through her opening match 6-4, 6-1 against Tatiana Rakotomanga Rajaonah, setting up a potential third-round blockbuster against Emma Raducanu. The world number one holds a dominant 3-0 head-to-head record against the British 28th seed, most recently prevailing at Wimbledon where Raducanu pushed her to her limits. Raducanu must first navigate Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew and either Suzan Lamens or Anastasia Potapova, but her serving struggles this season suggest she'll face an uphill battle against Sabalenka's overwhelming power if they meet.

Iga Swiatek survived a competitive first set against qualifier Yuan Yue before advancing 7-6(5), 6-3, positioning herself for a potentially tricky third-round clash with Anna Kalinskaya should the 31st seed defeat Sonay Kartal. Madison Keys and Leylah Fernandez are on a collision course for an intriguing third-round matchup between the two hard-hitting North Americans. Coco Gauff looked sharp in her 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova despite seven double faults, breaking serve six times to signal her readiness for a deep run as the third seed.

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